Newly appointed FCC chairman announces order to roll back portion of net neutrality rules

One week after President Donald Trump appointed Ajit Pai as chairman of the FCC, Pai has introduced a plan to begin rolling back net neutrality reporting requirements.

The net neutrality orders passed in 2015 require internet service providers to report information about their network performance and plans, however, small providers were exempted from these transparency rules under a temporary waiver. That exemption expired in December.

In a statement released Friday, Pai detailed a plan that would extend the waiver an additional five years. The plan would also expand the waiver to include more businesses. Previously, only internet providers with less than 100,000 customers qualified, but Pai’s plan includes ISPs with up to 250,000 subscribers.

“Federal regulations have a disproportionate effect on small businesses — businesses that are often the linchpin of a more competitive marketplace and that don’t necessarily have compliance resources,” Pai said. “Accordingly, I believe the FCC should be sensitive to the impact regulations can have on such businesses.”

Pai has been a vocal critic of President Obama’s net neutrality laws. In a December letter to a group of small internet providers, he wrote that he planned to revisit the transparency rules along with the broader net neutrality rules “as soon as possible.”

Jillian Stampher is a journalist based out of Seattle with a focus on breaking news reporting and digital media. She previously worked as an editor and social media manager at NBC’s Breaking News mobile app and studied journalism at the University of Washington. Reach her at jillian@geekwire.com or @jillianstampher.

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